BY JEFF CHUDZINSKINorth Country This Week

MASSENA - Village of Massena officials have signed off on a tentative agreement with the New York Power Authority, but not everyone was happy with the figures, including Mayor Greg Paquin.

At issue is a 10-year review of a relicensing agreement with NYPA officials.

Paquin reiterated to the attendees of the November board of trustees meeting that the agreement is merely reviewed every 10 years, not renegotiated.

“I realize not everyone, nobody was entirely happy with the original (agreement) some 20 years ago. But, people have to remember the language in that only allows for a review. It’s not a renegotiation,” Paquin said.

Despite a renewal that will net emergency response units a total of $490,000 annually, Massena Rescue and Massena Fire will only receive $8,000 each.

Trustee Ken McGowan said the $8,000 for each department was not enough.

That funding is set aside to assist departments who respond to NYPA facilities in the instance an emergency occurs.

McGowan said that funding can be used up "with just one call."

“Their infrastructure out there is huge. If there’s one incident, it’s a big deal,” he said.

McGowan said the additional infrastructure NYPA continues to install just adds to the concerns he, along with fire and rescue personnel, have voiced on multiple occasions.

"There's a lot more going on than just what's at the river. We really need to think, if we go out there for one call, seven or eight grand is gone," he said.

Paquin said the agreement does include a termination clause that would allow the village to opt out with 60 days notice, but noted it was his opinion it would be best to speak with NYPA leadership and address the village's concerns with the deal.

Former Mayor Jim Hidy took exception to the deal during the public comment period during the November board meeting, calling the agreement "a kick in the ass."

“We have $22,000 annually from the Power Authority and they net out there $1.3 million a day. This is ridiculous. If you compare what the western portion of the state gets compared to what we get, it’s a kick in the ass, to put it bluntly. We have attorneys that walked away from the table and left us with empty pockets,” he said.

Paquin agreed it was a bad deal.

“This is one of the few times you and I agree,” Paquin said.

As for the other terms of the deals, $1.5 million would be designated for energy efficiency projects over the next 10 years, with $2.75 million to be utilized for shoreline stabilization.

The Louisville River Course would also potentially receive $750,000 for those efforts under the estimate, however that is not a guarantee," Paquin said.

High flow payments are estimated at $7.158 million, something that remains unchanged from the 50-year agreement, Paquin said.

"That's the same formula. They didn't change the high flow rate," Paquin said.

As for recreational activities, $1.6 million would be put aside for them, along with a $5 million Recreational Improvement Fund for a multi-use recreational trail that would run from Waddington to Barnhart Island.

An additional $200,000 would be made available for marketing, Paquin said.

Electric vehicle chargers would also be part of the agreement, something Paquin wants the village to decide on as soon as possible.

“That’s a conversation we need to have, if we really want those electric vehicle chargers because they’re an expense, and the amount that people pay to use those doesn’t necessarily cover it. But let’s do some more research on that,” he said.

But the Local Government Task Force doesn't just include the village and town of Massena. It also includes the town of Louisville, the town and village of Waddington, as well as St. Lawrence County, Madrid-Waddington and Massena Central school districts.

Massena Central school officials already opted out of the electric vehicle chargers, Superintendent Ron Burke recently said.

Board President Paul Haggett commented that only a few items would likely benefit the district, in particular the recreational funding.

“The biggest one would probably be the recreational funding of $5 million that we may be able to garner some money from. What that application process looks like, I’m still trying to get that information,” Burke said.

Town of Massena officials adopted the agreement without comment during the November board meeting.